Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory stealth polymer, PGS outperforms PEG and enhances protein-conjugate stability

Richard D'Arcy – Assistant Professor, Arizona state University; Nicola Tirelli – Senior Researcher Tenured - Principal Investigator, Italian Institute of Technology. iit

Introduction:

Biotherapeutics face key challenges including physicochemical instability, immunogenicity, and short circulation half-lives. While PEGylation has been widely used to improve protein pharmacokinetics, growing concerns over PEG immunogenicity — including complement activation, hypersensitivity, and accelerated blood clearance — highlight the need for alternatives. This project investigates PGS, a polysulfide polymer, as a superior substitute to enhance therapeutic protein stability and pharmacokinetics.